Stephen Gilson Jr.
Arts Editor
A new macro-photography exhibit is on display at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery on the Scripps College campus.
Photographed by Scripps professor of art Nancy Macko, “Decompositions” is a stunning and vibrant collection of macro photos that Macko took of food waste she decided to compost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Macro-photography is using a high zoom lens or close perspective in order to capture finely detailed close up photos.
“It seems like everyone’s world shrank during that year or two,” Macko said. “Mine seemed to focus on what happened in the bin.”
Several of the pieces featured in the exhibit were titled as if they were shot in the ocean. One such piece, titled “Lemonthyme Jungle,” looked as if it was taken on the ocean floor, with green kelp and vibrant coral popping off of the prints.
Upon further inspection, it turns out that the kelp is actually different green leaves, and the texture of the coral is really the inside of a lemon, all taken from her back yard by the side of her shed.
All of the photos were taken with a regular digital single-lens reflex camera – no special lenses or tools.
“I would take the bin outside and photograph it when the light was just right.” Macko said. “They would always land a certain way and compose these beautiful scenarios that you couldn’t create, then I just started to photograph.”
While most would think that putting together such an exhibit would require a lot of effort, most of the effort was placed into details not otherwise commonly thought of as important.
“The images already existed, so we were able to review together and work on different printing strategies,” said Erin M. Curtis, the gallery director. “From there, it was really a lot of management of design, working with designers and editors to put together exhibition text, and working with fantastic installers.”
Macko’s and the curatorial team’s love and dedication to the art of photography showed. While the outer walls of the exhibit were a basic white, the photos were backlit with a warm glow of light, and different standalone walls on the inside of the room were painted in bold and bright colors to further draw attention to the magnificent photos.
“What’s really amazing about this work is the way it’s so vivid and life-like, even though it’s technically garbage you’re looking at,” Curtis said. “These specific photos stood out in the space, so our designer figured out some bright, but complimentary colors and tied them through.”
The bright and bold colors added a nice contrast to the photos, which all followed a very similar color scheme. It also helped persuade viewers to look at the photos with a certain perception that may not have existed had those colors not grabbed their attention.
Viewers appreciated the unusual exhibit.
“She obviously has a very good eye, but who would have thought to take photos of a compost heap?” said James Ach, Claremont resident and guest, said. “She saw a very creative opportunity, and it’s impressive.”
While the exhibit showed the artist’s resourcefulness in her ability to find beauty in the compost heap, some viewers saw a deeper message in the exhibit.
“It’s ironic because I just came back from a funeral and somebody had made a joke about this exhibit,” Director of Faculty Support Services at Scripps College and guest Katie Karaiscos said. “You can find beauty in everything, even death. It’s about taking the time to be present, to see what’s there in what we discard every day.”
The exhibit runs through Jan. 12. The gallery is located at 251 E 11th Street and open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
Admission is free.
Stephen Gilson Jr. can be reached at stephen.gilson@laverne.edu.
Stephen Gilson Jr. is a senior journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism. He is the arts editor for the Campus Times, a staff writer for La Verne Magazine and a staff photographer for both publications. He has previously been a staff writer, assistant editor and LV Life Editor for the Campus Times.
